Joker
by arisuniiro
Summary: Slowly, she opened her eyes. And standing in front of her was the Joker.


**Joker**

She ran.

The girl was running as fast as she could, for reasons she couldn't quite explain. There was somewhere she _needed_ to be, whether or not she knew where it was. So, she ran. It was faster than walking and it was what she needed to do to get there. Wherever there was.

She paid no regard to the fact that her long pink dress was tearing. She paid no regard to the fact that her long green hair was getting snagged on the trees as she ran through the forest. She paid no regard to the fact that her feet were being cut by sticks that poked through her thin stockings. She just wanted to get there.

Finally, she stopped at the edge of the forest. Looking up, there was a massive old abandoned building. Big, black, and forboding. It was one of those places that if you don't keep out, you're an absolute idiot. It was one of those places where you felt sick, where you felt chills run up your spine, then down, then back up again.

But that wasn't the reason that the girl was worried for her safety as she looked up. Because she could see the candle flickering in the window. And there was a silhouette cut out that she somehow knew. After a minute, after she recognized, the girl felt truly sick. She knew where she was. There was someone here. Someone known as the Joker.

The Joker was famous... or rather, infamous. She had alleged magical powers, and used them. She had been luring young girls, and only young girls, into an undisclosed location for months now. Only one person had ever made it out alive, but she couldn't figure out where it was. But all of the information about the Joker had been taken from that girl.

Slowly, the girl stepped inside, bright lavender eyes carefully scanning. She had been called here. Now that she had come, she wanted to get _out!_ Before the Joker caught her. The urge to come had been satisfied. Time to leave. But, as the girl went to turn, she realized that in dismay, she couldn't. Something was making her move forward, not letting her feet turn, not even letting her eyes stray from a red-carpeted hallway. And then she knew. She was going to have to find the Joker.

Very slowly, with trepidation, the girl began to walk through the hallway. Every step made the old stone beneath her creak and groan. Carefully, she looked up and saw the room that she had seen from outside. She could tell because there was candlelight, and she could almost see where the silhouette would be. The edge of a dark window was barely in her vision. Finally, as she reached the top, she could see the shadow of the Joker cut out against the candlelight. But just as she saw this, the figure bent over the candle and gently blew. It was pitch-black. That was the last thing she remembered before she fell.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. And standing in front of her was the Joker.

The Joker had hair like hers, green, only longer, down to her knees. She was wearing a black hat and vest, with unattached sleeves. Her shorts were black-and-white striped, and her long boots were dark gray. But the thing that unnerved the girl was that her eyes, hidden behind a black mask, were bright yellow.

"Time to start the show!" the girl sing-songed, whipping the hat off of her head, bowing as though she had an audience. "See, our special guest! This pretty young girl, in her prime!" The girl gasped, but it was too late to try and leave. And even if she could, she had a feeling that it wouldn't work, like she couldn't leave earlier.

"Well, young girl, how would you like to play a card game?" The Joker giggled. She bent her arms, waved them in front of her neck, and suddenly four cards appeared in each hand. Setting them down on a table lit by a candelabra, she suddenly grabbed the young girl and caressed her face. "Don't worry, I don't need to know your name," she whispered. The girl squirmed in the Joker's grasp, trying to get out, but she couldn't. The Joker forced her into a seat.

As the girl watched, the Joker waved her hands over five cards laying face-up. In a line, they all flipped over and shuffled. "Now, the goal of the game is to avoid picking the Joker card!" she giggled. Uncertainly, the girl pulled her hand up, as if to pick a card, but ended up chewing on a fingernail. "What's the matter, don't you get it?" The Joker pouted. "Here's the only problem: you're in love with something, aren'tcha?" The girl bit her lip. Yes, she was. Really, she was in love with herself. But, it didn't matter, right?

"Your love is blinding you, 'cause you're so in love with yourself that you're thinking of how to get out! Just pick!" the Joker snapped, suddenly dropping the friendly facade. "And if you want to get out, then you shouldn't have come! If you wanna get out, then you have to pick!" Taking a deep breath, she reached out and pointed at the card in the middle. The Joker lifted a hand, and the card lifted. The girl was praying, praying that it wouldn't be what she thought it was. But, as the card lifted, she drew a sharp gasp.

Staring her in the face was the Joker on her card.

The girl, suddenly in control of herself, got up to run, but stopped when she realized that there was no way she could leave. The Joker would just bring her back. The five cards lifted into the air, and started circling around her. Then, they flew back to the Joker, who lazily reached out and slid them into her sleeve. "You know, you came here," she pointed out. "But, you already came, and now the cards are into play!" she sing-songed.

Suddenly, the girl clutched at her chest. There was something wrong. It felt strange, heavy, and hot. The sudden pain brought tears to her eyes, and she fell to her knees. She wanted to scream, but her throat was on fire. Desperately, a last resort, she looked up at the Joker, silently begging her to help. But the Joker just shrugged. "Your choice," she repeated. The girl fell onto the floor, one hand over her heart.

The Joker reached out and wiggled her fingers. A pink heart pulled itself out of the girl's chest. She grinned. Stealing souls was too easy. As she examined it in her hand, the girl's eyes opened, wide and unseeing. She was dead to the world, but the world was alive to her.

The girl flew right behind the Joker, trying not to fall behind. The full moon beamed silver down on their backs. They stopped as they reached a city, right beyond the forest. Dimly she recognized it as her home, but it felt so foreign to her.

The Joker turned back, allowing the girl to catch up. "This is new to you, right?" she laughed, as though it was the strangest thing she'd ever heard. The girl stared down, utterly bedazzled. The city looked so beautiful, with the lights shining up and the forest melting into the black-blue of the buildings.

The Joker grabbed the girl's hand, and she clutched it like her life depended on it. She was pulled onto a rooftop. "I know it's beautiful," she stated softly. She grabbed the girl's other hand. "Now..." The world slowly started to fade into back. The Joker stood alone for a minute, in the black, and then joined the true world again.

The Joker watched while the soul slowly slid back into the girl. If she didn't, then the girl would have a dead body but a soul floating through space. That was a fate that the Joker, no matter how cruel, would never wish upon anybody.

For a moment, the Joker watched her as she regained her soul, just to make sure it would happen. All of a sudden, she felt something strange. Her cards were falling out of her sleeve. That'd never happened before. But, it didn't matter. She had to do her work.

She reached into her other sleeve and pulled out a long silver dagger. Gripping it hard, she lifted it over her head and pointed it towards the girl. Time seemed to slow. Everything seemed to fade into unimportance until the only things in the whole world were her, the knife, and that girl. For a moment, it was like all there would ever be. She couldn't do this if she would be killing half of the world. Her hand shook in midair, then her head swung fiercely from side to side as she tried to pull herself back into reality. Of course, there would be more. The knife swung down, albeit slowly, until it was barely inches from her face, and then-

"Joker," the girl whispered. The Joker sucked in a sudden breath. She couldn't. She really couldn't. She fell to her knees, reaching out, holding the girl's face in one hand. The knife fell from the other, and the mask dropped from her face. Everything was clear. It all made sense. Was this love? If it was, it was beautiful.

Caringly, she caressed the girl's face like she had earlier, only with true love this time. "Wake up," she whispered. And, her eyes opened, bright and clear. For a moment, the girl stared in utter shock and disbelief. She could see the knife, but she could see that she was in no danger from it. The Joker blinked, and then a single tear squeezed out of her eye and dripped down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered. The girl stared for another moment, confused, but then her face broke into a brilliant smile. She would forgive the Joker. It didn't matter. Because, it was truly love at first sight for them both.

The Joker reached out and took her hand. Slowly, the girl stood up. "All is forgiven," she whispered. The Joker's face broke into a beautiful smile as she stood up to join her love.

After that night, no more young girls disappeared. Nobody ever found where the Joker had been, or the bodies of the ones who were missing. But people in the woods could hear two girls laughing. Sometimes, people could hear footsteps, as if two people were running. And occasionally, people could see two girls running together.

After that night, the daughter of a noble was missing. She was never found again. Everyone blamed the Joker, but since nobody else disappeared after that, nobody was ever quite sure.

One full year later, a man with long, purple hair walked into an old stone building. He stared at it in shock, at its splendor, at its wonder. He slowly wandered into a room, and stared at the odd scene before him.

A single table sat in the center, lit by a candelabra. A deck of cards was spread over it, and a mask lay abandoned. He frowned at it, confused. What could this be? Curiously, he lifted up the mask, staring at it. Then, just to see what it would be like, he placed it on his face.

And just like that, the Joker returned.

_Kay, everyone, feedback please? 8D I just want to know what you all think. Tell me what you have to say about it! Peace, love, and pizza from Jess!_


End file.
